| Geography and Climate |
Cyprus is located in the Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey.
Area comparatively about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut.
Climate is temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Terrain consists of central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast. Elevation extreme has the lowest point in Mediterranean Sea 0 m and highest point in Olympus 1,952 m. Natural resources are copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment . Land use: arable land: 12%, permanent crops: 5%, permanent pastures: 0%, forests and woodland: 13%, other: 70% (1993 est.). Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.). Natural hazard is a moderate earthquake activity.
Environment—current issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall; sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifier; increased salinization in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization.
Ref. Anonymous, 1999 |